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Volume 6 - April 2009
CONTENTS
Commodity Levy Proposal
Olives New Zealand is preparing for a referendum to ascertain growers attitudes to the implementation of a commodity levy. Since the levy would apply to all olive growers producing olives or olive oil for sale, the Commodity Levies Act requires Olives New Zealand to attempt to provide information to all growers and to give them the opportunity to vote in the referendum. To assist in this endeavour a Power Point presentation and a copy of the voting paper will be placed on the home page of the Olives New Zealand website http://www.olivesnz.org.nz If you know of any growers who have not been contacted or attended a meeting on the levy would you please draw their attention to the website and encourage them to participate in the referendum.
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2009 Processors' Course
The Olives New Zealand (ONZ) processors course was held at Parkhill Olives near Wellsford on the 3rd, 4th and 5th of April.
The course for the first time was open to both ONZ members and non-members and structured to allow attendees the choice of attending specific days or the whole course.
On an average approximately 35 people attended each of the sessions, to those who missed the event we shall try to organize again for next year.
International Presenters included:
- Leandro Ravetti – Modern Olives Australia, modern olive oil production, influence of agronomic aspects, oil storage, buildings, tanks
- Matteo Betti – Alfa Laval Italy, solid/liquid phase separation
- Craig Hunt – Unity Scientific Australia, - Near Infrared Alanysis
- Peter Evangalista – practical demonstration.
and
- Laurence Eyres - chemistry and properties of olive oils
- Margaret Edwards - standards for olive oil, practical demonstration on sensory evaluation and factors that influence flavor both positives and negatives
- Dr Marie Wong - SFF Research update
- Shane Hopgood, - food legislation, HACCP plans and FSP essentials for NZ olive oil
- Andrew Whimp – cleaning and sanitation
covering topics from NIR analysis, practical demonstrations, standards, chemistry, HACCP plans, cleaning, modern olive oil production, separation, storage and much more.
Day 1: comprised a presentation on the design principles of the processing facility, cleaning, Near Infra Red analysis equipment and their application to the olive industry, and a practical demonstration of olive processing.
Peter Evangalista from South Australia who shared some of their experiences re the recently introduced Olive Levy, assisted in the practical demonstration and celebrated his birthday during the course.
David Prankerd kindly supplied a little over 1 ton of Leccino for the processing demonstration, thanks David. Three batches were processed as follows:
- Conventional
- Conventional but with talc added
- De-pitted fruit
The Oil samples were bottled over night for the Day 2 sessions.
Attendees were encouraged to bring samples of fruit from their grove for NIR analysis. The NIR analyzer can analyze fruit and pomace to assess the percentage of oil and the moisture content, and oil samples to determine a range of parameters including FFA, peroxide values, sterols, and to provide an indication of Best Before dates.
Day 2: Sessions comprised presentations by Margaret Edwards, Laurence Eyres, and Marie Wong. It also included sensory analysis of the oil produced from Day 1.
Some of the attendees obviously have very good palates and we would encourage local tasting sessions be established in each Region to assist in promoting NZ olive oils to the public. Also if there are members who have good sensory skills and would like to be trained please contact ONZ.
Day 3: Presentations by Lenadro Ravetti and Matteo Betti were focused on the more technical aspects of modern olive oil production.
Leandro Ravetti is the Technical Director for Modern Olives in Australia, whose production in 2009 is expected to exceed 6 million litres of oil. They face the same production issues as smaller producers only on a much larger scale.
We should all take any opportunity to attend presentations by Leandro, his knowledge of the industry and his skills are outstanding.
Matteo Betti had the more technical presentation but was able to include a comic video on how the liquid / solid separation occurs.
SPECIAL MENTIONS
For the Catering:
Margaret Legh and Marilyn Humphrey assisted by Olivia served up some of the most fantastic food and treats during the course, and to the barbque chef, Jim Humphrey, on Saturday night for the perfect steaks.
To the Presenters:
The International presenters who travelled long distances to the course, Matteo from Italy, and Leandro, Peter, and Craig from Australia, thanks guys your presentations were excellent and your willingness to share information with all is much appreciated and will go a long way to developing the industry in NZ.
The local presenters, Shane, Laurence, Andrew, Marie, and Margaret, it is good to know such local talent exists within NZ.
To the Harvester:
Harry Van Bakel who demonstrated the efficiency of mechanical harvesting and who harvested the fruit for the Practical demonstration.
Harry’s harvester was on display and attracted a lot of interest. For those interested in having their grove mechanically harvested you should contact Harry Van Bakel.
To Olives New Zealand:
Thanks for organizing the course and ensuring the quality of content and presentations.
To the hosts :
Many thanks are due to Ross & Margaret Legh for hosting the course and so generously making their facilities available.
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2008 Extra Virgin Olive Oil Awards
You may be aware of the concerns that were raised by Phyllis Heard, a member from Marlborough, regarding the award of the Best in Show at the 2008 Extra Virgin Olive Oil Awards. The trophy for Best in Show was awarded to a Frantoio/Koroneiki blend submitted by John & Margaret Edwards. Margaret Edwards, who had the title of Chief Judge, was one of the fifteen judges that judged the final seven oils for Best in Class/Best in Show. It has been alleged by Mrs Heard that the Chief Judge awarded her own oil Best in Show.
For the past five years the judging for the Awards has been carried out at HortResearch’s Sensory Science Facility in Mt Albert. The protocols for judging and the instructions to the facilitator were developed in 2004 by Cynthia Lund, who was at that time the senior sensory scientist at HortResearch, along with Margaret Edwards.
In 2008 the judging was carried out blind by a group of fifteen judges, of whom two were international judges, seven were members of the Olives New Zealand sensory panel and six were New Zealand based olive oil producers. Of the six producer judges, five had entered oils in the 2008 Awards.
The judging process has always been overseen by an independent facilitator, a scientist employed by HortResearch, but who is not involved with certification or olive oil projects. The facilitator and other technical staff were responsible for receiving the entries, coding them, preparing and presenting them for judging. The facilitator was responsible for entering the scores awarded to each entry into the computer.
In 2008, the fifteen judges were divided into three panels of five judges each for the preliminary round of judging. The instructions to the facilitator specifically state that the flights of oil in the preliminary rounds of judging are to be arranged in such a way as to avoid judges judging their own oils. There had been no such instruction to the facilitator relating to the final round of judging for the Best in Class/Best in Show hence Mrs Edwards’s score for that particular unidentified entry was one of the fifteen used to calculate the mean score for that entry.
In 2008 a new rule, 6.2 was introduced into the Conditions of Entry for the Awards that stated : “No judge who is also an exhibitor is ever in a position to assess or influence the assessment of their own oil.” Unfortunately the instructions to the facilitator were not amended so as to put the new rule into effect. In the absence of any amendment the same procedure that had been followed for the previous five Awards was followed. It is also possible that other producer judges judged their own oils in the final round of judging in the 2008 Awards as none of the oils in the final round of judging were identified.
The breach of Rule 6.2 did not come to light until early March after a legal opinion was obtained from Chen Palmer by Phyllis Heard. Mrs Edwards freely acknowledged her oversight and apologized to the Executive and Regional Chairs at their combined meeting in Greytown on 14 March. Mrs Edwards also offered to return the trophy for Best in Show, which was accepted by the meeting.
As a result of the above situation, the meeting of the Executive and Regional Chairs agreed to strengthen the procedures by amending Rule 6.2 to specifically refer to the final round of judging and to amend the instructions to the facilitator to put Rule 6.2 into effect. The independence of the facilitator is to be reinforced as is the fact that he/she is responsible only to the Executive Officer of Olives New Zealand.
Unfortunately this situation has not been without some fallout.
The combined Executive Regional Chairs meeting agreed to a release of the outcome of discussions on the 2008 Awards, which was to be prepared in conjunction with HortNZ’s Communication Advisor. The Communications Advisor advised against a release and this advice was followed after consultation. As a result two Executive members, Andrew Taylor and Colin Campbell felt that they could not continue on the Executive and tendered their resignations. This was followed shortly thereafter by the resignation of the President Jim Syme. Mrs Edwards as Vice President would ordinarily have filled the role of President but under the circumstances felt that she was unable to do so and has resigned as Vice President.
Following a complaint by Phyllis Heard regarding the role of HortResearch in the Awards, a review was carried out by two Government agencies. HortResearch was given a clean bill of health but has subsequently advised Olives New Zealand that it no longer wishes to be involved with the Awards in future. In part this was in response to the criticism of the Awards procedures and in part due to pressure of other work at the sensory science facility. This means that Olives New Zealand has lost the use of HortResearch’s facilities and their sponsorship, in total worth approximately $15,000.
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Peacock Spot
The following information was provided by Morry Vickers :
I spoke to Ian Dorset this morning. He is the manager of the company called Omnia Primaxa. Over the last 3 years or so, I and others, have assisted a scientist called Dr Adrian Spiers to develop a chemical to control Peacock Spot in olives. This disease is a major problem in most districts in NZ. Spotless will actually KILL the disease within minutes of application. Nobody in the world has been able to actually kill Peacock Spot, ever. The best that could be done is to protect the trees with a copper spray to prevent the disease. Most growers have waited 'til the spots are visible then commenced spraying. This, of course was too late. The damage has already been done. A few years ago, OLIVESNZ commissioned Friday Obanor to do trials on Peacock Spot control. He told us what we already knew. Use copper. This research cost $thousands. I believed, at the time, Spotless would work, but could not say that because our trials were still ongoing.
Spotless, because it actually kills the disease, has the potential to make huge increases in the NZ olive crops. The copper spraying days are over if growers use Spotless. In the past, the disease kills the leaves, thereby putting the trees under great stress, hence poor fruitset, or no olives at all. Besides this, copper eventually contaminates the soil causing major problems. No more copper.
I suggest that a newsletter be sent to members of OLIVESNZ to inform them of this new chemical, so they can try it and assess the worth of using it in future.
PS: I am not a shareholder in Omnia Primaxa, nor will I get any royalties, commissions or any other benefit from this message. I only want growers to benefit from the work that Adrian, others who have helped and I have achieved. If any members wish to contact me, I will be happy to speak with them or answer their E,mails.
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Around the Regions
Auckland
The season so far has been excellent although a bit different with a bit of rain in March to green things up a bit then nothing until mid April and even then very little. My water sensor is the lowest it has been this summer (mid April) but the crop is looking great. I'm expecting to exceed my '07 crop and that was a bumper so hopefully bye bye to bi annual bearing!
Nelson
Pruning field day at Roger and Sue Armstrong’s Property 8 February 2009.
The day had to be one of the best summer had to offer in terms of BBQ weather! A sweltering 38 C didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the 28 hardy souls who turned up to spend the afternoon taking a closer look at olive pruning. Thanks to Roger and Sue for having plenty of ice and water on hand to help us keep our cool as we assembled at their Olive Shop before sauntering off into the Grove.
 Roger led us to a block of 12 year old Leccino and Frantoio trees (photo 1). The 12 year old trees are about 4 to 5 metres tall; are not irrigated; have received minimal fertilizer (mainly trace elements after an initial pre-planting fertility boost based on soil tests) and have been pruned three times in their lifetime so far.
Roger wants to significantly reduce the height of the fruiting canopy, and pruning seemed to be encouraging top growth rather than stimulating canopy lower in the tree so he decided to push conventional pruning boundaries to see what happened. He explained how, using a chainsaw, he had reduced every alternate tree in this block of the grove to a 900mm to 1000mm ‘stump’ and just left them to see what happened.
In 18 months most of the ‘stumped’ trees have responded enthusiastically with lots of shoots and new  growth – the vigour of which varies with variety and location in the grove. Frantoio were more vigorous than Leccino at re-shooting and those in better soils put on more growth. The occasional tree has struggled and has been slow to recover but most have up to a meter or more of vigorous new growth on them (photo 2). He did not protect the stumps with anything and has not sprayed or pruned or fertilized the trees since they were ‘stumped’. Several ‘stumped’ trees had fruit on them in small quantities and Roger is expecting a good fruit set on them next year.
Roger aka “stumpy” seems very happy with the reduced production trade off required to lower the fruiting canopy using this technique and intends to ‘stump’ the remaining trees in this block later this year.
After his talk Roger introduced Allendale Garden Products who kindly came along to the field day with their full range of pruning and olive harvesting equipment for people to look at and try out – I didn’t see Roger wince once as all 28 of us wandered around wielding various models of loppers, tree saws and secateurs – still compared to a chainsaw….…
Allendale products are taking orders now for harvesting equipment if you are interested. You can view products on their web site www.AllendaleGP.co.nz or you can contact them by phone at (03) 5476874. If there is anyone else out there who didn’t make it to the field day but has the original Campagnola rakes you may like to know they are now the agents for spare parts replacement rakes etc,
After a bout of vigorous pruning and harvester waving we retreated to the cool of the Olive shop to watch the Leandro Ravetti DVD and consume yet more iced water before starting up the BBQ and turning the water into wine!
Thanks to Roger and Sue for hosting the day and putting in so much effort – it was a well attended, fun and informative day.
Waiheke
The olive harvest has begun here on the first weekend of April. The fruit is looking excellent but just a touch un-ripe as yet. This past weekend the percentage of oil produced was 20 - 24 % so those who have had olives pressed are happy. Just can't wait to taste the new seasons oil. There are four presses on the island so there are choices of where to get olives pressed.
The weather is perfect; sunny, warm, with very little rain recently. The evenings are beginning to get cool and the birds are getting hungry now that most of the grapes have been picked.
Our next event will be a post harvest lunch on June 28th at Man O War vineyard. It should be heaps of fun. Contact Judy ph 3600726 to find out more.
The planning has begun for this years Olive Festival in November. It was very successful last year and the public certainly are becoming more discerning and ask more educated questions.
Happy harvesting!!!
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Beyond Extra Virgin 2009
BEYOND EXTRA VIRGIN, an international conference presented by the UC Davis Olive Center, Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science and The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Greystone, promises to be a seminal event in exploring best production practices, the sensory qualities and the culinary possibilities of the best quality extra virgin olive oil.
BEYOND EXTRA VIRGIN, to be held June 21-23, 2009, is a “must attend” for chefs, journalists, specialty retailers, foodservice management executives, olive oil roducers, sensory scientists and other professionals. The event will likely sell out well in advance, so register soon! more
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Expoliva 2009
The XIV edition of the International Fair of the Olive Oil and Industries related to Olive Oil, EXPOLIVA 2009, will be celebrated in the Recinto Provincial de Ferias y Congresos of Jaén from the 13th to 16th of May 2009. This fair has been turned into the most important international fair of the olive oil sector and the first single-product fair of the food sector worldwide more
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News Briefs
Can Small Foe Foil Olive Fruit Fly?
Researchers from USDA agricultural research service have turned loose a promising natural enemy of the olive fly—a small wasp known as Psyttalia cf. concolor.
Though harmless to people, pets, and plants, the wasp harms olive fly maggots when it lays its eggs inside them. Wasp young that hatch from the eggs slowly kill the olive fly maggots by feeding on them from the inside out. more. Source: United States Dept of Agriculture. Courtesy Australian Olive Association.
Olive Oil Helps Prevent Osteoporosis
A study from the Harokopio University of Athens (Greece) determines that adherence to a dietary pattern close to the Mediterranean diet, with high consumption of fish and olive oil and low red meat intake, has a significant impact in women's skeletal health. Results suggest that this eating pattern could have bone-preserving properties throughout adult life.
Association between dietary patterns and indices of bone mass in a sample of Mediterranean women:Nutrition 25:2 (2009) 165-171. Read the paper. Courtesy Australian Olive Association.
EU Country of Origin Must be Declared
From July 1 2009, all virgin and extra virgin olive oil will have to be labeled with the country of origin under a new European Community rule. The current optional labelling, dating from 2002, 'has proven insufficient," the EC has announced. more. Source: Digital Journal. Courtesy Australian Olive Association.
Olive Oil Loses Antioxidants After Six Months Storage
A new study has discovered that if olive oil has been sitting on the shelf for six months, it can lose up to 40 percent of its health benefits. The research was carried out on several varieties of extra virgin olive oil produced from groves in the Italian countryside at production and during storage.
Baiano A. et al. Changes in Phenolic Content and Antioxidant Activity of Italian Extra-Virgin Olive Oils during Storage. Food Science 74:2, 2009. Courtesy Australian Olive Association.
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Classifieds
Wanted: 1 Campagnola pneumatic clapper with pneumatic hose. Please contact Rob Irwin, Kilrae Olives at kilraeolives@xtra.co.nz
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Coming Events
April 26 : Auckland. The Auckland group is holding an 'everyone welcome' meeting on Sunday the 26th April at Steve & Kerry Mrkusic's organic property @ 2:00 pm (with a grove walk @ 1:30 for those interested).
It is a free format discussion including chatting about the ONZ goings on, the levy progress and generally to catch-up with where everyone is at before harvest.
If there is anyone interested in attending our field day get in touch with Rob Dean at olivesnzauckland@gmail.com and he'll send out the details.
April 26 : Nelson. OLIVE GROVE TOUR – John and Linley Taylor and Trish and Ian Harris have kindly agreed to host us at their respective Groves. We will start at John and Linley’s place at 2.00 pm 176 Kina Peninsula Road. Turn of State Highway 60 near Tasman Store into Kina Peninsula Road wind your way along without turning off and look for olive field day sign. Then we will head off to visit Trish and Ian’s Grove in Redwood Valley - turn off the Upper Moutere Highway into Redwood Valley Road. We will start here with a cuppa to give people time to re-assemble.
May 10 : Central Otago. A field day will be held at Nick & Marilyn Knowles grove, Rapid 722 Bannockburn Road, Cromwell commencing at 1:30 pm. There will be a discussion of the presentation of olives for processing and post processing handling and storage of oil.
June 28 : Waiheke. A post harvest lunch will be held at the Man O War Vineyard. Contact Judy Rae on 360 0726 for more details.
August : Central Otago. Harvest Dinner at a date and venue to be advised.
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